Ichor
by WynterSky
Summary: "I wanted Sasuke to love me, not this slavish doll!"...Sakura gives Sasuke a love potion, only to have it backfire disastrously. Now, she has to find a cure before it destroys him.
1. Chapter 1

[A/N: Sorry, bunny attack! This should be short, though, and I'm keeping up on Turning Points.]

1.

The day after Team 7 officially passed Kakashi's test, Sakura gathered up every bit of money she had been saving and headed into the shopping district. She had been looking for a chance like this since her first year at the Academy, and she wasn't about to risk this not being a sure thing.

She had never dreamed to be on a team with Uchiha Sasuke, the boy every girl in her graduating class had been crushing on. However, he didn't seem to really have any interest in Sakura or her advances, which was the reason for her little errand today.

In a narrow, twisting alley far off the main street of the shopping district was a little shop called 'Ichors For All Needs'. This would be the third time Sakura had been there; the first had been several weeks ago when she had gotten lost and wandered past, and the second was just before graduation day, when she had decided to make sure it was really there. It was that strange of a place.

Her first time there, she had been hurrying home late from the Academy after getting detention because of a too-loud (according to Iruka) quarrel with Ino. They had been squabbling over who got to offer a homemade lunch to Sasuke, not that there had been much point since he had brought his own. In any case, she had taken a different route since there had been some road work going on, and eventually ended up completely lost, resulting in wandering down the little alley in an attempt to get her bearings.

The shop caught her eye because of the way the little bottles dangling in the window sparkled, even though it was no longer daylight out. Intrigued, Sakura forgot her destination and walked closer, enchanted by the shifting colors and dancing lights. Almost before she knew it, she had pushed the door open and stepped inside. The interior of the shop was well-lit, and the hundreds of multicolored flasks and vials cast a rainbow of hues everywhere.

"Can I help you?" a low, melodious voice greeted her.

Sakura started in surprise, looking over to the corner where the voice had come from. The woman who had addressed her stood up and smiled, and Sakura stood transfixed, knowing she shouldn't be gaping but unable to suppress the reflex. The owner of the shop (for Sakura assumed this was so) was as beautiful as a summer's dawn, lustrous golden hair falling almost to her knees and practically floating as she moved. Her eyes were clear, inviting gray and she had the most dazzling smile Sakura had ever seen. As she walked over to where Sakura stood, her long blue gown floated elegantly around her ankles.

"I-I'm just looking!" Sakura stammered out finally, embarrassed at staring so rudely. "Um, what is this place? What do you sell here?"

"I sell desires," the woman replied mysteriously. "I sell the fulfillment of every wish. Look here," she continued, walking along one of the shelves. Sakura followed curiously as the woman began gesturing at certain bottles. "This one is for a woman who has longed for a child," the woman said, lightly touching a delicate-looking flagon filled with a blue liquid that bubbled cheerfully. "This one will grow any rose ever imagined. That one over there—" she pointed to a larger decanter with a spout "—restores beauty; however, it's only temporary, I'm afraid. I have better ones but they must be stored in the dark."

Sakura took a few moments to register all of this before asking her question. "You…wouldn't happen to sell…_love_ potions, would you?"

The woman smiled that angelic smile again and Sakura felt as if an eternity of clouds had just parted. "Why of course, what kind of question is that? But I can't just take one off the shelf for you—a love potion has to be individually tailored for it to work. Why, are you interested?"

"I, um, I might be," Sakura replied awkwardly. "Would it be terribly expensive?"

"That depends," the woman replied. "I might be able to let you pay in installments, though."

"Okay," Sakura said. "Can I come back? After I've saved up, I mean."

"Certainly you may. Here, let me make you a present, since it's your first visit." The woman held a small vial wrapped with silver wire out to Sakura, who took it, a little self-conscious at the contrast between her stubby fingers and the woman's elegantly tapered ones.

"What is this?" Sakura asked, inspecting the clear, thick liquid the vial held. It had little air bubbles in it that floated lazily when she tipped the vial back and forth.

"It improves intelligence for a period," the woman replied. "You're a student of the Ninja Academy, aren't you? Wouldn't you like to have the highest score on your next exam?"

That would be sure to impress Sasuke. "How do I use it?"

"Dab it on your eyelids the night before you want the effects. It should last eighteen hours after that."

After thanking the proprietor of the shop profusely (and receiving numerous gentle assurances that 'it was nothing' and 'the pleasure was all mine') Sakura had left the shop in a bit of a daze. Eventually, she had found her way home and forgotten all about the strange incident until the night before an exam on Fire Country history. She had been slaving over the textbook for the last week, but the dates just weren't sticking. Just as she was about to go to bed, her gaze had lit on the little vial that had been left on her dresser ever since her visit to the strange little shop.

Not really thinking anything would come of it, she had applied one drop to each of her eyelids before going to bed. The next morning, she had awoken feeling strangely energized, and blazed through the pertinent chapters of the textbook before hurrying off to school, knowing there would be hell to pay to Iruka if she was late on the day of an exam.

She had received the highest score in the class, a full seven points above Sasuke (who hadn't bothered answering the extra credit question and had lost half points on one answer for an incorrectly placed comma).

Ever since that day, Sakura had been determined to make enough money to get back to that store and buy herself a love potion—and finally she had decided today was the day!

…

Ichors For All Needs was exactly where she had remembered it, and Sakura took a deep breath before pushing the door open. "Hello?" she said nervously.

The woman who owned the shop appeared almost soundlessly from between two rows of shelves. "Oh, it's you!" she said when she saw Sakura. "It has been a while, hasn't it. Are you ready to make a purchase?"

Sakura nodded. "I…I want a love potion," she said quickly, afraid she would lose her nerve. "I can pay," she continued, taking out her purse. She had done a lot of babysitting during the last several weeks, as well as selling greeting cards door-to-door over New Year's. Thanks to all that, she had a fairly hefty sum at her disposal.

"Oh, leave the money for now," the woman said. "Let's see what you want first. Come in the back and I'll mix it up for you."

Sakura followed as the woman led her to a small, curtained area in the back of the shop. The light was dimmer here ('to keep the ingredients fresh,' the woman explained) and there were strange plants growing on a table in the corner. The woman motioned for Sakura to sit down in a small chair before walking over to a large cabinet with a worktable sitting in front of it.

"Now, this boy you fancy," the woman began, taking a small glass bowl out of the cabinet, "what's his name?"

"Sasuke," Sakura replied. "Uchiha Sasuke."

"Hmm…Same age as you?"

"A little older." Sakura watched as the woman took out several small jars of powder and a metal carafe that steamed even though it wasn't warm in the room.

"What does he look like?"

Sasuke described Sasuke, trying to be as detailed as she could without seeming like a stalker. As she spoke, the woman rearranged the array of things she had taken out, putting some back in the cabinet and taking others out in their place.

"And his personality?"

That was a bit harder. "Well…he's kind of cold to everyone, and he doesn't pay attention to any of the girls. I think he stays at his house most of the time he's not in school—I hardly ever see him around anywhere. That's about it, really—oh! He really likes tomatoes, if that's any help."

The woman nodded, starting to measure things into the bowl and stir them up. Despite the many colors of the ingredients, Sakura could tell that the resulting liquid was clear. "Right then," the woman said after a few moments, "the base is done. Now you get to decide how you want to go about this."

"How…what?"

"I'll walk you through it. Right now, the potion is perfectly mixed for your intended, but it won't actually do anything until I put the active ingredients in. So, what do you want?"

"I want him to love me," Sakura answered.

"Mm-hmm. In what way?"

"I don't know…" Sakura hadn't really realized there would be this much thought involved. "I want him to need me—I want him to want to be near me."

The woman nodded thoughtfully, dropping two of what looked like sugar lumps into the bowl where they dissolved instantly. "What about prior attachments? I can make it so nothing will come between the two of you."

"Yes, please," Sakura said immediately.

"And I'm assuming you want him to be affectionate."

"Well, of course."

The woman poured a stream of something resembling pink lemonade into the bowl, turning the mixture a light rosy color. Next were a few more of the powders and several small, pearly beads that splashed into the bowl before dissolving.

Taking a phial about the size of a soda can out of a lower shelf of the cabinet, the woman carefully ladled all but the dregs of the mixture into it. "There you are," she said, stoppering the bottle and handing it to Sakura, who took it as if it would melt in her hands. "All done. Now let's see about the payment."

Sakura handed the woman her purse. "I can make more money," she said quickly, afraid there wouldn't be enough. "I'm on a genin team, I'll earn money from missions."

"Oh no, this is plenty," the woman said gently, smiling in the way that had so dazzled Sakura the first time. "Here, there's even a little over."

"Thank you," Sakura said with a slight bow as she stood up. "Oh, I almost forgot! How does this work?"

"You have enough for two doses there," the woman began to explain.

"Two?"

"Now let me finish. One is for you; after you drink half the potion (and it must be a precise half), you have twenty-four hours to get your intended to drink the other half—and then, he's all yours!"

"All mine…" To Sakura, that sounded like heaven.

[A/N: I was reading a kind of fluffy fic involving Sasuke, Sakura, and a love potion, and decided to try and write a darker take on the premise.]


	2. Chapter 2

2:

Sakura waited several days before attempting to use the potion; she only had one shot at this and she wasn't about to mess it up just because she got impatient. Therefore, the bottle containing the love potion sat temptingly on her windowsill for more than a week, casting pink light on her wall as the sun shone through it.

Finally, she decided she couldn't wait any longer. It was a perfectly romantic day in Sakura's opinion, with a clear blue sky that had a few cheerful, fluffy white clouds in it. After checking and re-checking that it was the day she thought it was and Team 7 would be meeting for training that morning, she measured out her dose. The woman had said 'precise' and Sakura made painstakingly sure that there wasn't a drop extra on either side.

Picking up the glass that held her dose, she inspected it a little warily. The liquid looked completely innocent—if Sakura hadn't known what it was she would have thought it was a cherry soda or something. She was pretty sure Sasuke wouldn't want cherry soda, so she would have to find some way of disguising his dose.

"Well," she said finally, trying to encourage herself, "it's sure not getting anything done just sitting in the glass like this." Closing her eyes, she put the glass to her lips and drank it down.

To her surprise, the love potion didn't have much of a taste, although it tingled when it went down. The only flavor she recognized was a vaguely rosy one. This was a good thing, she decided: the lack of flavor would make it easier to trick Sasuke into drinking it.

After getting all ready for Team 7's training (wearing the _perfect_ outfit that she had spent several days planning) Sakura took Sasuke's dose, which was still in the jar, and put it in her bag, wrapping it in a sweater first so there was no risk to the glass container. Her mother called a good-bye from the kitchen as Sakura walked out the front door, and Sakura replied cheerfully.

She had a love potion and twenty-four hours in which to get Sasuke to drink it, and there was no way she was giving up.

Naruto and Sasuke were already on the bridge where Kakashi had told them to wait when Sakura arrived. Naruto was performing acrobatic tricks on the railing, and Sasuke was ignoring him. As far as that was concerned, things were perfectly ordinary. Unfortunately, since Sasuke wasn't paying any attention to anyone else (his inattention had spread to Sakura on her arrival) he would most definitely notice any tampering with the thermos sitting next to him. Sakura was sure it was his thermos, as it was black and therefore certainly not anything of Naruto's.

Perching on the railing Naruto wasn't playing around on, just far away enough from Sasuke that he wouldn't move away from her, Sakura considered the situation. The thermos was a pretty basic one and would only take a few seconds to open and close, but she would have to get Sasuke's attention away from it first. Now, how to do that…

To her surprise, Naruto provided the exact opening she needed. "Hey, bet you can't do this!" he yelled suddenly, just before performing an elaborate one handed somersault/cartwheel combination. It started out well, but he grabbed the railing wrong at the end. Naruto yelped, flailing for balance, before tumbling into the water below with a splash.

Sasuke sighed and stood up slowly, his hands in his pockets. "Looks like somebody has to rescue the idiot yet again," he said, walking away from the thermos and off the bridge.

Masking her chakra the best she could so Sasuke wouldn't be able to tell what she was doing, Sakura fairly dove off her perch on the railing and grabbed the thermos. After taking the bottle with the other half of the love potion out of her bag, she opened the thermos and nearly gagged as she smelled what had to have been the strongest, blackest coffee ever known to mankind.

_Well, he sure isn't going to notice the taste,_ she thought, withstanding the urge to pinch her nose since she needed both hands to open the bottle of love potion. _Seriously, you could strip paint with this stuff._

Dumping Sasuke's dose into the thermos, Sakura closed it and gave it a little shake to distribute what she had just poured in. She put the now-empty bottle back into her bag and climbed back to her seat on the railing just as Sasuke came back into sight, a sodden, bedraggled Naruto following behind.

…

Sakura kept a close eye on Sasuke (or rather, Sasuke's thermos) for the rest of the time before Kakashi arrived. She had seen him drink out of it several times—he didn't seem to have noticed anything out of the ordinary at all—but wasn't sure he had finished the coffee-love potion mixture.

Once Kakashi got there, she was too busy to watch Sasuke, although she tried to look over at him whenever she had a spare moment. Nothing seemed to be happening yet, so either he hadn't finished it or that ridiculously powerful coffee had gone and ruined the effect.

They were supposed to be practicing shuriken throwing, but Sakura was so distracted that she performed rather poorly. She had never been that good at it in the Academy, but today she was just dismally off. She had been expecting Kakashi to scold her, but he wasn't really paying attention to any of them, instead reading that book he carried around all the time.

Finally, Kakashi let them take a break for lunch. Sakura had come prepared, and dashed over to offer Sasuke a lunch. He didn't even look up as he refused. Sasuke hadn't brought his own lunch, so maybe he just wasn't hungry? In any case, there still didn't appear to be anything happening from the love potion.

Sakura watched Sasuke from a safe distance all through lunch. She was pretty sure he knew she was watching him, but he didn't do anything other than occasionally moving a little further away.

At last, just before Kakashi called them back, Sasuke opened the thermos and drank the last few ounces of the coffee. Sakura sighed in relief and realized she had been holding her breath.

Nothing happened.

Sasuke went back to throwing shuriken without sparing Sakura a glance. Not wanting Sasuke to realize she had been plotting something, Sakura hurried back to the training field and started hurling shuriken frustratedly at her target. The emotion seemed to improve her aim, she realized.

What had gone wrong? She had set everything up so well, but Sasuke seemed just the same. Hoping it was just a delayed reaction, she tried going up to him after training, only to get firmly ordered to 'just _go away.'_

It was very depressing, but it would be too embarrassing to go back and ask for a refund now. Maybe she had messed up the measurements, or maybe it had been the coffee, but something had gone wrong and now the perfect future she had dreamed up was ruined.

Sakura was still sulking when she got home. Ignoring her mother's greeting, she stomped up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door behind her. She didn't even bother taking her weapons belt off before flinging herself down on the bed and screaming into her pillow.

After that little outburst, she felt a bit better and decided to freshen up and then study for a while, so she would have an excuse not to leave her room if either of her parents asked.

"Now what?" she asked herself as she started to brush her hair out in front of the mirror. She had been keeping it long, despite the inconvenience, since she had been informed Sasuke liked girls with long hair. If she hadn't been able to get him with an honest-to-goodness _love potion,_ though, she sure wouldn't have any luck with her hair style. Maybe she should cut it. Grabbing her pink locks, she tried to imagine how she would look with her hair just above her shoulders.

Sakura decided she liked it. The short hairstyle was cute and cheerful, and would definitely be more practical for her ninja lifestyle. Once, she had gotten her hair tangled around a shuriken and it had taken her a good half-hour to get it loose. Naruto had offered to help, but there was no way the class klutz was getting anywhere near her hair.

Feeling just a tinge regretful, Sakura stood and grabbed a pair of scissors off her dresser. She wavered a bit as she brought them towards her hair, and took a deep breath to steel herself.

"Okay, now or never," Sakura said finally, and cut.

Just as the last strands fell free, there was a soft rustle at her open window just behind her. Startled, Sakura whirled around, still clutching her severed hair in one hand as she raised the scissors defensively. "What—"

"Sakura," Sasuke murmured, pushing the lace curtains aside as he alighted from the windowsill. "You look beautiful."


	3. Chapter 3

[A/N: I'm sick which is why I'm working on this rather than the more difficult currently Turning Points. I'm still a little ahead on that so hopefully it won't be too much of a problem.]

3.

Sakura stood frozen in shock for a moment before her legs gave way under her and she dropped to the floor.

Sasuke (was it really him?) was at her side almost instantly, catching the scissors before they could make a hole in either Sakura or the carpet. "Are you all right?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Sakura blinked, and the world seemed to come back into focus. "Y-y-yeah, I'm fine! J-just fine…" He was _so close_, she realized when she turned her head. Never before had Sakura managed to get close enough to Sasuke to touch him. "I guess it finally worked," she whispered.

Sasuke frowned a little, looking confused. "What worked?"

"Huh? Oh, n-nothing," Sakura stammered. She hadn't been prepared for this! Now what was she supposed to do? "Wait just a second, okay?" Standing up (still a little shaky from the surprise), she quickly threw away the several inches of hair that she had been holding and made the bed so that there would be somewhere for her and Sasuke to sit. She only had the one chair, after all.

Fluffing up the pillows so they looked _just_ right, Sakura sat down and patted the bedspread next to her invitingly. She expected to wake up any moment as Sasuke slowly sat down beside her, but she didn't.

_I have to know,_ Sakura told herself, tentatively reaching out and poking Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke was definitely there and tangible, and even more to Sakura's surprise he didn't seem too bothered at the contact. "What was that for?" Sasuke asked curiously, leaning in so their faces were close together. Sakura had never realized just how long his eyelashes were or how beautifully they framed his coal-black eyes…

"I just wanted to make sure you were really there," Sakura said finally, breaking off her staring and hoping she didn't sound too awestruck.

She could tell Sasuke didn't really understand this from the quizzical tilt of his eyebrows, but he didn't ask any more questions. "I…wanted to tell you something," Sasuke said, slipping his arm around her again.

"Yes?" Sakura asked eagerly. She could feel herself blushing and hoped Sasuke wouldn't notice.

Sasuke looked away a little. "Ever since this afternoon…I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I wanted to see you—I couldn't stand the thought of not being near you, that's why I came. Sakura?"

"Yes?" _This is it this is it…_

"I think…I love you, Sakura."

_Ha! Take THAT, Ino-pig! _"Sasuke…" Sakura whispered, closing her eyes as he bent his head closer.

To her surprise, his lips did not meet hers, instead brushing feather-soft against her cheek. Sakura pulled back a little, startled, and Sasuke looked abashed. "Sorry…"

So Sasuke was shy. Sakura hadn't been expecting this, but promptly decided that it was the Cutest Thing Ever.

"Oh no, you don't have anything to be sorry about!" Sakura insisted, finally losing her composure (after a valiant struggle, if she did say so herself) and throwing her arms around Sasuke. "That was wonderful."

Sasuke jumped a little in surprise at Sakura's sudden squeal and pounce, but didn't try to pull away. "Really?" Sakura had never heard that tone of voice from Sasuke before. He sounded delighted, _adoring_ even. "Then…would you go out with me? Tonight, I mean. For dinner."

Sakura felt like screaming in excitement but held it in. "I'd _love_ to! Listen, why don't you go so I can change, and then come around to the front door in about ten minutes, okay?"

Sasuke frowned a little. "Do I have to leave you?"

"It'll just be a little while," Sakura pointed out, already trying to decide what she would wear on her first date.

"Please don't take too long," Sasuke whispered in her ear before reluctantly letting go of her and standing up. Sakura closed the window behind him after he slipped silently out, then headed for her closet.

Despite her promise to only take a few minutes, it still took Sakura some time before she was satisfied. After all, if she was going to be seen on a date with Sasuke, she had to be dressed properly for the occasion. She went through several permutations of garments, and by the time she finally had the right outfit, most of her wardrobe was strewn across the bed and floor. Not wanting to keep Sasuke waiting any longer, she left everything where it was, pausing to put a dab of shiny lipgloss on before heading to the front door.

The outfit she had eventually settled on consisted of a fluffy white chiffon skirt and a red top that had the Haruno clan emblem on the back (while the Haruno were not a ninja clan, they were a very respectable merchant family). The high-heeled wedge sandals she had chosen were a little uncomfortable, but they looked good enough that she didn't really care. She was a little sorry now that she had cut her hair, because it was a little uneven and she hadn't had time to fix it. After putting some little flowery hair-clips in, she had decided it looked at least presentable.

Sakura's mother called to her from the kitchen as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "There's someone at the door, dear," she said. "My hands are full, I can't answer it."

"It's one of my teammates, we're going to go out," Sakura explained quickly, ducking into the kitchen so she wouldn't have to shout.

"Well…that's alright, I suppose," her mother said, although she looked a bit doubtful. "Just don't stay out too late, you have to get up early again tomorrow."

"Got it," Sakura acknowledged before hurrying to the door, struggling a little with the sandals until she figured out the method of walking they required. As she reached for the doorknob, she had to keep herself from dancing with excitement. She was going on a date with _Sasuke!_

When she opened the door, Sakura almost expected Sasuke to be gone, but he was still there, sitting on the porch railing. He jumped down as Sakura closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry I took so long," Sakura said quickly, knowing she had been quite a bit longer than the ten minutes she had originally said.

"I don't mind," Sasuke replied, "as long as you're here now."

As they descended the porch steps to the sidewalk, Sasuke quietly took Sakura's hand. Sakura felt like screaming with joy but refrained herself just in time; Sasuke would definitely have thought that was pretty strange.

"So where did you want to go?" Sakura asked as they walked towards the commercial district.

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know, I don't go out very much—I haven't had any reason to, until now. Is there any place you like?"

"Well, there's a nice little traditional place near the Yamanaka flower shop," Sakura suggested. "How does that sound?"

"Anything that will make you happy is fine with me," Sasuke said with a smile. It was the first time Sakura had seen anything other than a sardonic smirk from him, and it was heart-stoppingly gorgeous.

The restaurant Sakura had chosen was a pleasant, cozy little place that was very rarely crowded—Sakura had figured that Sasuke wouldn't want to be around a whole lot of people on their first date. It was a clear day, so Sakura decided they would sit outside. The wooden tables were all painted, and the table-for-two that Sakura and Sasuke ended up sitting at had a detailed cherry tree taking up most of the surface.

"What would you like, Sakura?" Sasuke said as Sakura took a delicate sip of the green tea the waitress had brought along with their menus.

"Can I get anything I want?" Sakura asked, perusing the menu. There were a fair amount of reasonably-priced dishes but the really fancy things were very expensive. She didn't want to make Sasuke pay for something he couldn't afford, but she did want to try something nice.

"Certainly you can," Sasuke replied, but Sakura thought he might just have been trying to be polite.

Sakura was still trying to decide when she glanced up and caught a glimpse of someone familiar over Sasuke's shoulder. She quickly ducked behind her menu, hoping that they wouldn't be noticed—she didn't mind her and Sasuke's dating becoming known but didn't want to be bothered in the middle of it—but this hope went ungranted.

"Sasuke-kun?" Ino said suspiciously. "Who are you wi—_billboard-brow how dare you._"

Sakura affected innocence. "There's nothing wrong with two teammates being together, is there?" Maybe choosing a restaurant located near her love rival's family shop hadn't been such a good idea after all…

"Oh sure, maybe not, but there is when it's _Sasuke_ and he's with _you_," Ino retorted, glaring. "What, are you blackmailing him or something?"

Sakura gulped. There wasn't any true reply she could give that wouldn't make her look bad, and she couldn't let Sasuke find out. "I—"

"Why else would he go out with you?" Ino continued before Sakura could get any words out. "I mean, look at you!"

Sakura flushed, self-consciously trying to straighten her unevenly chopped hair. Why did Ino have to come and be so horrible? She was ruining Sakura's first date!

At this point, Sasuke, who had been observing the altercation silently, stood up and turned to face Ino. "Don't say such things to Sakura," he said calmly and very coldly. "She is the most beautiful girl in the world to me…and I love her."

Ino turned very pale, and for a moment Sakura thought she was going to attack her before she suddenly burst into tears and fled.

"Sasuke…" Sakura murmured as they sat back down. "Thank you so much."

Sasuke didn't reply to that, but smiled that beautiful genuine smile again. "Have you decided what you want to order yet?"


	4. Chapter 4

[A/N: Sorry for not updating anything, I was sick and then quite busy with school. I'm really tired currently so I haven't been feeling much like writing. I'll try to get a few chapters of Turning Points done over Thanksgiving.]

IV:

After Ino ran off, the rest of Sakura's date with Sasuke went remarkably well. Sasuke was very sweet and attentive, making Sakura feel like a princess or something with how he was doting on her.

They walked home together after they finished eating, stopping at an ice cream stand along the way. Sasuke took Sakura's hand again as they strolled along the twilit streets.

Sakura bit into her chocolate ice cream blissfully. _This is even better than I had hoped!_ she thought. _Sasuke certainly seems happy; someone should have given him a love potion before, it might have done him good. I'm glad I thought of it first, though._

"Do you think we could go out again tomorrow, after training?" Sasuke asked as they neared the Haruno house again.

"Of course we could!" Sakura replied immediately. "Oh, here's my house. So, see you tomorrow, Sasuke!"

"Sure…" Sasuke said, but did not let go of her hand.

"I've got to go," Sakura pointed out as they reached the steps.

"I suppose," Sasuke said finally, slowly releasing his grip on her fingers. "But…we live so far apart," he added quietly, looking mournfully in the direction he would have to take to get to his house.

Sakura felt a little bad about depriving Sasuke of the object of his affections, but she really did need to get to sleep. "We'll see each other tomorrow morning, won't we? Anyway, good night!"

Gathering her courage, Sakura turned and planted a delicate kiss on Sasuke's cheek before blushing and running inside. Once she made it to her bedroom (ignoring her mother's call from the kitchen) she peeked down at the road through the curtains, hoping Sasuke hadn't reacted too badly to the kiss.

Sasuke was looking up at her window, and Sakura waved when their eyes met. Her cheeks felt hot and she was sure they were a brighter pink than her hair.

Sasuke smiled and waved back before walking away, turning to look back a few times until he rounded a corner and was out of sight.

Beaming blissfully, Sakura curled up on her bed, hugging one of her pink satin pillows and wriggling with joy. _This has been the best day of my life!_ she thought rapturously. _And it's only going to get better…_

…

Sakura got ready quickly the next morning, wanting to see Sasuke as soon as possible. Sasuke had proved that he didn't mind how she looked, so she didn't obsess over her appearance other than taking a few minutes to straighten up her chopped-off hair as best she could. In order to get it looking really good she would have to go to a salon, but it was definitely passable by the time she finished.

Skipping down the stairs, Sakura ducked into the kitchen to grab a stuffed bun to eat on the way to the training field. Her mother wasn't there, which was a bit of a surprise—Mrs. Haruno had a little home business selling jellies, so she was usually in the kitchen for most of the morning and a lot of the rest of the day.

After getting her bun out of the refrigerator, Sakura looked around and spotted a note that had been left on the table, weighted down with a jar of strawberry preserves. Sticking the bun in her mouth so she could use both hands, Sakura pulled the note out from under the jar and started to read it.

_Sakura,_ the note began,

_I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you last night, but you went to bed too early. I have a large order I need to get finished by tomorrow, so I need you to come straight home after your ninja team practice and help me label the jars. We should be able to get it all done today—I went out to get some more labels and won't be back until after you're gone. I hope you didn't make any other plans._

_Thanks very much for all your help,_

_Mom_

_P.S. I think my daughter is beautiful no matter what she does with her hair. Next time that boy comes over, give me a chance to talk to him, okay? He seems very nice._

Sakura sighed once she had finished reading the note. She had already told Sasuke last night that they could go out again, but she couldn't skip out on helping her mother. There would be plenty of other nights she and Sasuke could go out, and it wasn't like Sasuke could fall out of love with her over a little thing like that, not with the love potion still affecting him. He would just have to wait.

It was nice that her mother approved of Sasuke, but Sakura wasn't sure she really wanted them to be around each other very long. While she supposed it was probably an irrational fear, Sakura was a bit worried that her mother might guess something was up. Mrs. Haruno was very perceptive, as shown by the little comment about Sakura's hair in the note.

Putting the note back on the table, Sakura headed for the door, quickly checking to make sure she had all of her weapon pouches first. She had forgotten her shuriken once, which had been very embarrassing. Now that she and Sasuke were together, she would have to try and get closer to his level.

It was a nice day in Konoha; while it wasn't very warm, the sun shone brightly out of a sapphire-blue sky, and a pleasant breeze wafted the gentle scent of trees through the streets. Sakura was certain she didn't have to worry about being tardy since Kakashi was always the last one to arrive, so she ambled through the streets, enjoying her walk.

Even though she hadn't been hurrying, it still wasn't very far to the bridge. Naruto and Sasuke were already there. As Sakura walked up, Sasuke stood and hurried over to her—a bit surprising considering his usual reluctance to move quickly unless necessary in the course of training.

"What took you so long?" he asked intently, leaning close. "I've been waiting for you."

"S-sorry," Sakura stammered, too distracted by his eyes to think of a more coherent answer. "Oh, about tonight, I have to—"

Sakura didn't get a chance to finish the sentence, as Kakashi appeared behind them at that point. "Good morning, kids!" he greeted them. He sounded very chipper this morning, which usually meant something 'special', meaning in Kakashi-speak 'brutally difficult'.

Before Sakura and Sasuke could make an end to their conversation, Kakashi was herding them off to one of the training fields for kunai and shuriken training. While Team Seven had learned the basics in the Academy, Kakashi was teaching them highly advanced techniques that were both easy to mess up and very painful when that happened.

Sakura had wanted to be next to Sasuke, but Naruto ran ahead and claimed the middle spot. Sighing, Sakura took the left target as Sasuke took the right, both glaring daggers at the oblivious Naruto. The Academy clown had been crushing on her for what seemed like ages, and it was seriously annoying. While Naruto was occasionally tolerable, he quickly became less bearable at close distances.

"So Sakura-chan, have you done anything interesting lately?" Naruto asked in a rather clumsy lead-in to what was sure to be yet another attempt to ask her out. The blond's never failing determination in that regard was almost cute at times, but now that Sakura had Sasuke it was nothing but a bother.

"Yes, I have," she replied firmly. "_Plenty_ of things. _Very interesting_ things." _Much more interesting that going to a silly ramen stand with you, _Sakura added mentally. "Now be quiet, we're supposed to be practicing."

Naruto pouted, but started throwing his shuriken. Sakura was relieved that he had improved a bit since the Academy; one time he had tried to show off during class (to impress her, probably) and ended up sending Ino to the hospital for seven stitches.

Sakura's weaponry skills were middling at best, but she put her all into it today and to her surprise found that she was doing rather well, certainly better than she had expected. Between throws, she tried to steal a look at Sasuke, but Naruto was usually in the way so she gave up.

"This is a ninja team, not a Lonely Hearts Club!" Kakashi called from the tree where he had been lounging and reading his book. "Let's focus on our sharp, pointy things that we're throwing about, please, and stop casting longing glances at our teammates." Sakura began blushing furiously until she realized that Kakashi hadn't finished speaking. "Seriously, Sasuke, if you can't keep your eyes off Sakura I'll have her train somewhere else."

"Noooo!" Naruto wailed. "Don't send Sakura-chan away, Sensei!"

Surprised, Sakura looked over at the target Sasuke had been throwing at. Unlike Sasuke's usual impeccable skill, his performance today was…well, 'dismal' would be a bit of an exaggeration, but definitely along the lines of 'not very good'. _Maybe I should go train somewhere else. I didn't mean to get Sasuke in trouble with Kakashi-sensei._

After being scolded by Kakashi, Sasuke's performance improved somewhat, although Sakura was sure he was still staring at her every chance he got. When Kakashi called a halt for lunch, the two of them sat underneath one of the trees and ate together. Kakashi didn't give them very long breaks, so they didn't get a chance to talk much. Sakura tried again to tell Sasuke that she wouldn't be able to meet him that night, but she had barely had a chance to broach the subject when Kakashi shouted for them to come back.


	5. Chapter 5

[A/N: Hey look, I updated something! I'm not a complete flake!...in all seriousness though, I should be able to write more during the summer, so don't write me off just yet!]

V:

After returning to where Kakashi was, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto found seats on a protruding tree root. Sakura managed to get the spot next to Sasuke this time, making her very happy.

"Okay, team, here's your fun D-rank mission for the day!" Kakashi announced once all three members of Team 7 were paying at least some attention to him.

Naruto grumbled, but Sakura ignored him. Sasuke didn't really seem to care very much about what Kakashi was saying, and whenever he wasn't looking would gently reach up to fluff the ends of Sakura's new hairstyle. This made Sakura tingle with pleasure and was therefore very distracting, but she managed to listen to Kakashi's explanation of their mission all the same.

"I have here some shopping lists from elderly people who want us—by which I mean you three—to do their grocery shopping for them," Kakashi began. "They also have limited budgets, so be careful you don't go over because it will come out of your mission pay. You won't be able to get everything in the same place, but I'm sure you can find your way around the market district well enough to find whatever you need. After you're done shopping, go deliver the things to the address on your shopping list. That's all you need to know, I guess. I'll hand the lists out so you don't fight over them…"

With that, Kakashi handed them each a piece of paper and an envelope full of money before making a vague shooing motion and heading off somewhere to read his ever-present book.

"Oh come on, I have to find _vegetables?_" Naruto wailed as soon as Kakashi was out of earshot. "I don't even know what a Brussels sprout looks like!"

"Try reading the labels on the shelves," Sakura retorted unsympathetically, not looking up from her own list. "They have those, you know. It's what they're for."

Naruto continued complaining for another minute or two, but lost interest when neither Sakura or Sasuke showed any inclination to respond and finally headed back towards the main part of the village.

"Do you need any help with yours, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked once Naruto was gone.

"Maybe…" Sasuke replied tentatively. Even though he was much more open while under the effects of the love potion, he clearly still didn't like asking for help. "I don't really do very much shopping, not for things like this. Where would I get tinned crab?"

Sakura took the shopping list as Sasuke held it out to her. "Let's see…you should be able to get all these fruits in the market, and the sugar and rice and such are cheapest at the big warehouse store. I think you can get the tinned crab and mint jelly and such from the Takeuchi store. It's really little, but they have a lot of more exotic stuff. It's right next to the Maneki Neko, and to get there you turn at—" Sasuke continued to look confused, and Sakura paused. Her directions were obviously not very helpful to someone who didn't already know all the landmarks in the shopping district. "Have you got a pencil? I'll draw you a map."

Once Sasuke had handed her a pencil, Sakura quickly sketched a map on the back of the envelope containing his grocery budget. Sakura wasn't the best at drawing, but she was pretty sure it would be understandable. "There you go!" she said when she had finished. "I'll walk back with you, but most of my things are in different stores."

…

The two of them walked hand-in-hand back into the main part of the village, but split up when they reached the shopping district. Sakura headed off to buy her customer's vegetables from the market, after pointing Sasuke in the general direction of the specialty store, explaining that he should buy the most expensive things first to make sure he would be able to allow for everything else.

After purchasing a large bag of cabbage and several bunches of fresh herbs, Sakura left the market for the massive warehouse store, which had the best prices on cooking staples as well as selling a variety of ninja ration meals. Despite the nigh-eternal shelf life these had (back in the Academy, Naruto had been dared to eat one dated from ten years earlier, and did so with no apparent ill effects) they were healthy and at least somewhat tasty.

Even though Team 7's clients on this shopping mission were retired, Sakura had a few ninja meals on her list of things to buy, probably because of how convenient they were. She picked up the listed curry rice and meatball meals before wending her way towards the rice aisle.

Unluckily for her, the client had specified a variety of rice that only came in large, very large, and ridiculously large bags. Sakura had taken a shopping basket instead of a cart, and there was no way a thirty-five pound bag of rice was going to fit in it. With some difficulty, she was finally able to balance the cumbersome bag on her shoulder and started back towards the front of the store to check out.

As she made her way carefully around a protruding endcap, Sakura heard footsteps approaching quickly behind her.

"There you are!" Sasuke exclaimed as he came up beside her. He had several bulky shopping bags slung over his shoulder. They had the logos of some of the other stores on them so apparently he had accomplished a good deal of his shopping. "Don't go so far away—I've been looking all over for you."

Sakura frowned. "Sasuke-kun, the shops we've been at are two blocks apart at the very most."

"I _know_," Sasuke said earnestly, taking Sakura's basket so he could grab her now-free hand. "Don't go so far away."

This was a little disconcerting, despite how pleased Sakura still felt that Sasuke enjoyed her company. He had never been 'clingy' before, in any sense of the word. While Sakura didn't mind the attention, she couldn't help feeling a little strange…guilty, maybe, at having changed him this much.

Sakura quickly shoved that sensation down. This wasn't any time to be having second thoughts. "How has your shopping been going, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, with a smile that was only slightly forced.

"Okay, I suppose," Sasuke replied. "This place is really crowded, though," he added with a frown as they had to dodge between several other shoppers with carts. "All I have left to get is the sugar, where is that?"

"It's…" Sakura paused to look around briefly and get her bearings in the huge store. "Over one aisle and back a bit, here, I'll show you." Since Sasuke obviously didn't like being on his own in the crowds and _did_ like being with her, it would hardly be fair to make him go by himself.

Luckily, someone had abandoned a cart in the aisle they passed through, and Sakura gladly transferred the huge bag of rice and her previous purchases into it.

"I'll push," Sasuke said, taking the handle of the cart before she could. "Lead on."

…

The last of the shopping went very quickly, and Sakura knew they should split up after that since their delivery destinations were in different directions. However, Sasuke didn't seem at all inclined to part with her and Sakura decided that it wouldn't slow them down too much considering they had made good time during the shopping.

Sasuke's destination was a cozy little traditional-style house near the edge of the village. There was no-one home when he rang the bell, but the door was unlocked and a note had been fastened near the latch. "It says we can just leave the things inside," he announced, turning to Sakura.

After the two of them carried all of Sasuke's groceries inside and made sure all the perishables had been properly put away, Sasuke left the rest of the money from the shopping trip on the table where it would be easily seen.

As they left the house, Sakura began to pick up her bags, but Sasuke had taken all but one before she could get there. Sakura could tell as soon as she picked it up that it was the lightest one. This was really very sweet and chivalrous of Sasuke, but it was just a little bothersome to have him doing everything for her; she was a ninja and quite capable of heavy objects. Still, without the love potion Sasuke wouldn't deign to lift a finger to help her, so Sakura decided this was nothing to complain about.

"Where would you like to go tonight?" Sasuke asked as they walked towards the address where Sakura's groceries were to be delivered.

Sakura took a deep breath and turned to face Sasuke. "I'm sorry, I can't go out with you tonight."

"Oh," Sasuke said in a small voice, his eyes downcast. "I see."

Sakura felt like she had slapped him.


	6. Chapter 6

[A/N: I have a research paper due next week, so look what I'm working on instead!]

6.

Seeing the dejected look on Sasuke's face made Sakura feel sick with guilt. "It's not that I don't _want_ to go out with you," she quickly tried to explain. "I have other things I need to do. We can go out some other evening—it's not like we don't see each other every day."

Sasuke made no response other than a despondent shrug, and Sakura sighed. _I'll make it up to him later,_ she told herself.

The rest of the way to Sakura's delivery destination, Sasuke didn't say a word. Sakura tried to engage him in conversation a few times but without success, to her frustration. Before, she had been used to him being quiet and reserved, but he had become more open ever since the love potion so now his silence was worrying.

Finally, the depressing walk was over. Sakura tried the door of the apartment her groceries were bound for, but it was locked so she rang the bell. She had to lean on the bell quite hard before her customer, an elderly female chuunin, now retired, answered the door.

"So sorry about that, dear, I was napping," the woman said. "Just put the bags on the table, I'll put everything away. Oh, if it isn't Sasuke!" she exclaimed as Sakura entered with Sasuke following. "I remember you from the Children's Center…it's such a shame—"

Sasuke was beginning to look horribly uncomfortable and Sakura knew she would have to move fast. A lot of the elderly ninjas liked nothing better than to talk, and if they didn't get out of here soon they would have to listen to things that Sakura was certain Sasuke wouldn't want to be reminded of. Ordinarily, she would have expected Sasuke to do something about it, but he was still standing passively in the entryway.

Snatching the last bags out of Sasuke's hands, Sakura deposited them ungently on the table. "Here's your change got to go" she blurted out, yanking the envelope with what was left of the money out of her pouch and handing it to the woman.

"Oh, do you have to go so—"

"Yes sorry bye!" Sakura babbled, practically yanking Sasuke out the door after her. He made no resistance at all, which Sakura failed to allow for, nearly making the two of them tumble down the stairs in her haste.

Once they were a block away from the apartment, Sakura paused to catch her breath. "Okay," she said, "now that _that's_ over, I think it's time to go home. So…see you tomorrow, I guess…"

Sakura began to turn in the direction she would have to take to return home when Sasuke suddenly grabbed her arm. Sakura was partly relieved at this—Sasuke's blank silence had been disturbing. However, there was still the issue of her having to go home and help her mother. "I'm really sorry, Sasuke, but I have to go home now."

"Please don't make me leave you," Sasuke murmured, pulling her closer so he could whisper in her ear. "Can't I go home with you? I—I'll do anything you want…" he added pleadingly.

Sakura sighed. This would put the problem off a little while longer, but would create the additional issue of Sasuke meeting her mother, who was all too astute and might very well guess that something was wrong.

Still, Sakura couldn't bring herself to deny Sasuke, seeing how dejected he looked. "I guess you can come over," she said, "but I don't think my mother will let you stay the night. You'll have to leave after dinner."

"As long as I can be with you a little while longer," Sasuke agreed, but he still looked disappointed.

…

"There you are, Sakura," her mother called the very instant the door opened. "I've been waiting for you."

"Sorry," Sakura called back. "Our mission went kind of long."

Sasuke followed her inside and Sakura took his arm to lead him into the kitchen after they had both taken their shoes off.

"Hello Mom," she greeted as they entered the kitchen where her mother was sitting at the table behind several piles of cute little jam jars waiting for their labels. "I brought one of my teammates home; he can help." Sakura had a feeling that jar-labeling wasn't what Sasuke had meant by 'anything you want' but it was what she needed right now.

"That's nice. You're the one who went out with Sakura the other night, aren't you?" Mrs. Haruno asked Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded, quietly sitting down in the chair Sakura pulled out for him.

"What's your name?"

"Oh, this is Uchiha Sasuke, mother," Sakura interjected quickly.

"I was asking him, sweetheart," her mother chided gently. "Well, shall we get started? I had all the labels printed, so what we need to do is get them all on the jars. Here, Sasuke, I'll give you these labels, and these go on the grape jam, that's this pile, and Sakura, you take the mint."

The next hour or so was spent putting labels on the jars. Ordinarily, Sakura and her mother would chat as they worked, but with Sasuke there Sakura couldn't think of anything to say, and Sasuke didn't seem at all inclined to start a conversation. He did seem to be a little happier now, as he smiled at Sakura a couple times as their eyes met across the table, and looked delighted when their hands touched by chance as they reached for more labels. Sakura blushed, hoping her mother wouldn't notice even though she was sure she would.

All too soon, the last of the jam jars were labeled. "Well, that's that," Mrs. Haruno said cheerfully. "You've been a great help, Sasuke. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Sasuke paused, looking hopefully to Sakura for prompting. Sakura, thinking it would be a bad idea to answer for him this time, nodded agreeably, gratified by the smile that quickly spread across Sasuke's face.

"I would like to very much, Haruno-san," Sasuke said as he straightened up his pile of jars.

…

Dinner was a quiet affair, and over much too soon for Sakura's liking. There were no more excuses for Sasuke to stay any longer, and she wasn't sure how she would convince him to leave her.

When her mother turned away to begin washing dishes, Sakura took the opportunity to get Sasuke out of the dining room so they could talk privately. "I'm really sorry, Sasuke-kun, but you've got to go home now."

Sasuke frowned, biting his lip (which Sakura happened to find very attractive) before speaking. "Must I go?" he pleaded, taking her hand. "Nothing seems right when you're not there. It's just—empty. It _hurts_, Sakura."

Sakura sighed. While she did like Sasuke being so devoted to her and wish she could fulfill his desires, having him as what would basically be a house-pet would really be a bit much, especially with her mother around. "No, I'm afraid you have to go," she said as firmly as she could bring herself to, leading Sasuke in the direction of the front door. While Sasuke didn't actually resist, he certainly didn't make any effort to move faster than absolutely necessary.

Opening the door, Sakura gave Sasuke a gentle push outside. "See you tomorrow," she said.

"Can I come over after training again?" Sasuke asked.

"Well…I'll see about that. Bye!" Sakura closed the door perhaps a little more quickly than was polite in order to make it clear to Sasuke that she would not be cajoled into letting him stay any longer tonight.

Through the window in the door, she watched Sasuke walk slowly down the street, occasionally looking forlornly back at the Haruno house.

_I've got to figure out what's going on with this,_ Sakura resolved.


End file.
